The Northern Arc is a proposed four-lane highway that stretches from Cartersville to Lawrenceville and runs through Cherokee, Bartow, Forsyth and Gwinnett counties. The Georgia Conservancy questions the Northern Arc, believing it will hurt air quality and lead to more uncontrolled sprawl.

During the 2001 legislative session Governor Roy Barnes included plans for the Northern Arc in his package of transportation projects. The plan includes the purchase of 900 feet of right-of-way that allow for 400 feet of greenway on either side of the road. The cost for the project is an estimated $2 billion.

The Georgia Conservancy has several concerns about the Northern Arc:

• Studies suggest that the Northern Arc will do little to relieve traffic congestion and will cause significant environmental problems. The Georgia Conservancy believes that improvements to Georgia 20 will do more to reduce congestion at a lower cost than the Northern Arc and with less risk to Lake Allatoona.
• Plans for the Northern Arc are moving forward before completion of the Northern Sub-Area study. This puts the cart before the horse by spending funds on preliminary engineering before officials have fully analyzed transportation needs in the corridor.
• The current environmental study undertaken as part of the proposed creation of the Northern Arc does not include an analysis of the only strategy approved and included in the Regional Transportation Plan.

top | back